ABSTRACT
Drawing on the material presented by the contributors to the two volumes that comprise Opera, Emotion, and the Antipodes, this chapter contemplates how classification can be both useful and harmful to human organisation and well-being. Giving rise to expressions of pride, anger and fear, classification is found to be a double-edged sword in achieving social harmony. In the case of furthering the aims of multiculturalism, the creative processes of certain operas have demonstrated mechanisms through which classificatory harm can be avoided or addressed.
